Introduction to

Organizational Behavior
(Chapter – 01)

By:
Dr. Aamir F. Shamsi

Business Studies Department, BUKC

 Overview of the Chapter
1. Organizational Behavior;
2. Importance of Interpersonal Skills;
3. Management & Organizational Behavior;
4. Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study;
5. Disciplines that contributes to the OB Field;
6. Few Absolutes in OB;
7. Challenges & Opportunities for OB;
8. Developing OB Model.

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 What are the interpersonal skills?

What determines the significance of

interpersonal skills?

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 The Field of Organizational Behavior
o Organizational Behavior studies the influence that individuals,
groups and structure have on behavior within organizations.

o Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge toward improving an

organization’s effectiveness.

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 Management Skills
o Technical skills
o Human skills
o Conceptual skills

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 Effective Versus Successful
Managerial Activities
o Traditional management;
o Communication;
o Human resource
management;
o Networking.

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 Focal Points of Organizational
Behavior
o Job attitude;
o Work;
o Absenteeism;
o Employment turnover;
o Productivity;
o Human performance;
o Management.

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 OB includes..
1. Motivation;
2. Leader behavior & power;
3. Interpersonal communication;
4. Group structure & processes;
5. Attitude development & perceptions;
6. Change processes;
7. Conflict & negotiations;
8. Work design.

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 Complementing Intuition with
Systematic Study
o Intuition: your “gut feeling” explanation of behavior.
o Systematic study improves ability to accurately predict behavior.
• Assumes behavior is not random.
• Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior.
• These can be identified and modified to reflect individual
differences.

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 Systematic Study
o Examines relationships.
o Attempts to attribute causes and effects.
o Bases conclusions on scientific evidence:
– On data gathered under controlled
conditions.
– Data is measured and interpreted in a
reasonably rigorous manner.

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 Evidence-Based Management
o Complements systematic study.
o Bases decisions on the best available
scientific evidence.
o Forces managers to become more
scientific in their thinking.

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 Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field
Micro:
The
Individual

Macro:
Groups &
Organizations

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 Few Absolutes in OB
o Impossible to
make simple
and accurate
generalizations
o Human beings
are complex
and diverse
o OB concepts
must reflect
situational
conditions:
contingency
variables
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 Challenges and Opportunities for OB
1. Responding to Economic Pressures;
2. Responding to Globalization;
3. Managing Workplace Diversity;
4. Improving Customer Service;
5. Improving People Skills;
6. Stimulating Innovation and Change;
7. Coping with “Temporariness”;
8. Working in Networked Organizations;
9. Helping Employees with Work-Life Conflicts;
10. Improving Ethical Behavior;

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 Responding to Economic Pressures

o Effective management is especially important during tough economic

times.
o Employees look to their managers to provide security during the
instability of a recession.

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 Responding to Globalization
o Increased foreign assignments
– Differing needs and aspirations in
workforce
o Working with people from different cultures
– Domestic motivational techniques and
managerial styles may not work
o Overseeing movement of jobs to countries
with low-cost labor

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 Managing Workforce Diversity

Workforce diversity:
organizations are becoming a
more heterogeneous mix of
people in terms of gender, age,
race, ethnicity, and sexual
orientation

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 Diversity Implications
“Managers have to shift their
philosophy from treating everyone
alike to recognizing differences and
responding to those differences in
ways that ensure employee
retention and greater productivity
while, at the same time, not
discriminating.”

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 Improving Customer Service & People
Skills
o The majority of employees in
developed nations work in
service jobs and they must
know how to please their
customers.
o People skills are essential to
succeed in today’s
organizations.

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 Stimulating Innovation and Change

o Flexibility
o Quality Improvement
o Staying Competitive

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 Temporariness
o Jobs are constantly changing
o Skills need to be updated for
workers to stay on target
o Workers need to be able to deal
with change
o Employees need to be able to cope
with flexibility, spontaneity and
unpredictability

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 Working in Networked Organizations

o Managers must adapt their skills

and communication styles to
succeed in an online environment.

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 Helping Employees handle work-life
conflict

o The line between work and non work

has blurred and managers are
increasingly dealing with conflicts that
arise between work and life away
from work.

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 Thinking Positive

o Creating a positive work environment can be a competitive advantage

o Positive Organizational Scholarship (Positive OB):
– Examines how organizations develop human strengths, foster
vitality and resilience, and unlock potential.
– Focus is on employee strengths, not their weaknesses.

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1-28 Improving Ethical Behavior

o Ethical dilemmas and ethical choices

o Unethical practices – take bribes…
o Code of ethics
o Seminars, workshops and training programs
o Fair treatment of employees
o Ethically healthy climate
o Promote a strong ethical mission

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 Three Levels of OB Analysis

Chapters 14 - 16

Chapters 8 - 13

Chapters 2 - 7

Plan
Plan of
of the
the Book
Book

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 Implications for Managers

o OB helps with:
– Insights to improve people skills
– Valuing of workforce diversity
– Empowering people and creating a
positive work environment
– Dealing with change in the workplace
– Coping in a world of temporariness
– Creating an ethically healthy work
environment

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 Any Questions?

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 Thank You!

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